Zhang poses for a photo with honeydew melon. [Photo/Baotou news network]

It has recently been reported that honeydew melon with grid-shaped skin and flesh that tastes like ice cream and is smooth and sweet was successfully grown in Baotou for the first time.

Zhang Shengli, chairman of the Baotou Runzeyuan Agricultural Science and Technology Farmers Professional Cooperative, said that honeydew melon is a Japanese variety and its sales have been strong in recent years. Although it is already grown in many places in China, this is the first time it has been grown in Baotou, and he did not expect the output to be so large.

Zhang has hired more than 100 villagers from six surrounding villages to work at the cooperative, picking melons in greenhouses or packing them in workshops. "I hope that under my leadership, villagers can bring in higher incomes and enjoy high-quality melons," Zhang said.

The successful planting of honeydew melon is due to the strong support of the Economic Crops Promotion Center of the Baotou Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Science and Technology Research Institute.

"We visited every week at the start and then every two weeks later on to help Zhang solve various problems in the planting process," said Yao Huijing, director of the center.